Cape Town – Former Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) welterweight king Michiel Opperman has been provisionally suspended and withdrawn from an up-coming title fight after testing positive for a banned substance.
According to a statement released by the EFC on Tuesday, Opperman tested positive for the substance in September last year “when he competed against Yannick Bahati at EFC53”.
The release did not name the substance in question, but stated that Opperman had “elevated levels”. The test was carried out by the South African Institute for Drug Free Sports (SAIDS), and Opperman’s fate will now be decided in a hearing.
“This comes as very disappointing news to us,” stated EFC President Cairo Howarth in the release.
“But we are ever grateful that our anti-doping protocols are some of the best in the world and helping to keep MMA safe and fair.
“I know that Michiel is working with SAIDS, so hopefully this matter will be cleared up soon.”
Opperman competed at welterweight during the early stages of his EFC career, but has plied his trade at middleweight in recent years.
The 32-year-old took the September fight against Bahati on short notice, after his teammate David Buirski was ruled out through injury. Though the bout was meant to be for the middleweight title, Opperman chose to make it a non-title match up out of loyalty to Buirski
He went on to record a shock victory over his larger, more heavily-muscled opponent, knocking him out just 12 seconds into the the first round.
Referee Wiekus Swart pulls Michiel Opperman off of Yannick Bahati at EFC53. Photo: EFC
Opperman was set to challenge “Champion” Dalcha Lugiambula for the light-heavyweight title at EFC57 in March in his next fight, but the bout has now been scrapped after the promotion failed find a replacement for the Team CIT veteran.
The release states that Dalcha turned down the opportunity to face Bahati as he wanted to fight him at middleweight instead. Dalcha and the Birmingham-based Brit have already met once, with the Cape Town-based fighter earning a narrow unanimous decision win in May 2015.
Gauteng’s undefeated Chad Hanekom was also offered the bout, but declined because of the timing. Instead, he will face Dalcha later in the year on a date and card yet to be determined.